Chapter 64

On the outer side of the beach, there is a green path specifically for people to jog and walk, winding along the beach. Many people run on this green path, fully demonstrating the Brazilian people's love for sports.

Rongguang and Lao Shenxian were standing on this green path at this moment.

Lao Shenxian first took a watch-like device from his pocket and put it on Rongguang's left wrist.

"This is a pedometer, it can tell you how far you have run," Lao Shenxian explained succinctly. Then he took a walnut from his pocket and bent down to place it in front of Rongguang's feet.

"Kick it," Lao Shenxian said succinctly.

Rongguang gently kicked the walnut. This time there was no net to catch it, and the walnut, being light, rolled a long distance even though Rongguang kicked it gently.

This was not the main issue; the key was that the walnut's surface was uneven and its shape irregular, causing it to bounce unpredictably on the ground.

Rongguang clearly kicked it straight ahead, but the walnut ended up rolling to his left and almost off the green path, finally hitting the edge and bouncing back.

"Oh..." Rongguang had already run to the left, but the walnut was deflected to the middle, so he had to make a sudden turn to chase it and kick it again. This time the walnut rolled to the right and completely off the green path, the low edge of the path did not stop the bouncing walnut.

When he ran to the beach to pick up the walnut, he saw Lao Shenxian beckoning to him.

So he ran back with the walnut.

"Look at this," Lao Shenxian pointed to an advertisement next to him, which was for Havaianas flip-flops.

"This is your starting point," Lao Shenxian continued. "When the walnut is kicked off the path, you have to return here and start running again, and reset the pedometer." Lao Shenxian then taught Rongguang how to use the pedometer.

"Ten kilometers in the morning, ten kilometers in the afternoon, you can eat and sleep after you finish running."

Hearing this, Rongguang, despite being mentally prepared, was still speechless as he looked at Lao Shenxian.

Running twenty kilometers a day was not much for Rongguang, who had grown up running in the mountains, and it was not tiring.

But with the added rules of kicking the walnut and returning to the starting point if the walnut was kicked off the path, these twenty kilometers became extraordinary...

"Is there a problem, kid?"

Rongguang wanted to say there was a problem, but he thought Lao Shenxian must have a reason for this arrangement. How could a mortal understand the thoughts of a deity?

So he swallowed and shook his head, "No, Lao Shenxian."

"Good, then start running."

After saying this, Lao Shenxian turned and walked away, seemingly not caring whether Rongguang would follow his instructions.

Rongguang looked down at the walnut in his hand.

What was the point of running while kicking a walnut?

Rongguang couldn't figure it out, but he knew Lao Shenxian must be right!

With this simple thought, Rongguang dropped the walnut on the ground. The walnut, with its uneven surface and irregular shape, bounced and landed about two meters to his left front.

When he dropped the walnut, he had no idea where it would bounce... it initially went to the right, but after bouncing on the ground several times, it changed direction and landed to his left front.

Rongguang didn't think about the significance of kicking the walnut; he just started running as Lao Shenxian had instructed, being careful not to kick the walnut off the path.

But this made his speed very slow.

After he kicked the walnut, it went in unpredictable directions, and he had to follow it, making snake-like movements on the three-meter-wide green path.

This put a lot of strain on his knees and hips.

After running for a while, Rongguang looked at the pedometer on his wrist and saw that he had only run 95 meters!

He was stunned— he thought he had run at least a few hundred meters.

At this rate, when would he finish ten kilometers? Would he even be able to have lunch?

He had to speed up.

The result of speeding up was that the walnut's trajectory became even more irregular, and Rongguang had to make multiple turns after each kick to catch the walnut.

But the worst part was that after a few kicks, the walnut would be kicked off the path.

So he had to run out to pick it up, return to the starting point, reset the pedometer, and start running again...

Normally, Rongguang could run ten kilometers in about forty minutes, or at most an hour if he was slow.

But now, after an hour, he had only managed to run one kilometer!

By this point, he was drenched in sweat and panting heavily.

Because he had run more than just one kilometer!

The distance he had to run to pick up the walnut probably added up to three or four kilometers.

If he had just run four or five kilometers normally, Rongguang wouldn't be so tired.

But in the process of chasing the walnut, he had to make sudden stops, starts, and turns, all of which required short bursts of energy.

This was anaerobic exercise, which was very energy-consuming and mainly trained Rongguang's fast-twitch red and white muscle fibers.

But the ten-kilometer distance and the total distance run, which was much more than that, provided a good training for his slow-twitch red muscle fibers.

Lao Shenxian didn't tell Rongguang, but this seemingly absurd walnut-kicking training could simultaneously exercise all three types of his skeletal muscles, increasing his explosive power and endurance.

At the same time, the continuous turns, stops, and accelerations while running could help Rongguang master the skill of dribbling with turns—Rongguang had learned to dribble, but it was all in a straight line, relying on speed, which was too simple. Once the opponent figured out his pattern, he could easily be marked.

But if Rongguang learned to dribble with turns... that would be amazing!

His speed and explosive power combined with continuous turns would make it hard for opponents to predict his attacks!

Rongguang had already learned the basic techniques of dribbling with turns during his training with the team, and he had been practicing to build muscle memory.

What he lacked was the experience of combining this technique with his speed. Kicking the walnut was a good way to practice.

Rongguang didn't know these benefits yet.

He only knew to follow Lao Shenxian's instructions and train!

***

On the first day of training, Rongguang didn't have lunch.

He only had dinner at eight in the evening.

When he finally finished running a total of twenty kilometers, he was drenched in sweat, and his legs could no longer support his body. He collapsed on the green path, lying on his back, completely ignoring the surprised looks of others—he didn't even have the energy to care.

Lying on the ground, his chest heaved, and his heavy breathing drowned out the sound of the sea breeze and waves.

He felt as if he had taken a trip to hell and barely escaped.

Because he was so tired, he only ate a few bites of dinner before lying down in the tent.

"Turn over," Lao Shenxian told Rongguang to flip over.

Then he began to massage Rongguang's body.

Miraculously, the sore parts of his body felt much better after Lao Shenxian's massage, as if his entire body had relaxed, and every pore was breathing happily.

Especially his knees, which were the most painful after a day of running. But under Lao Shenxian's magical massage, the pain was significantly reduced.

Rongguang wanted to chat with Lao Shenxian, but he was too tired to speak, so he just lay on the mat and let Lao Shenxian massage him.

After a tiring day, the massage made Rongguang feel very comfortable, as if he had been reborn.

In this comfortable state, Rongguang fell asleep.

Lao Shenxian heard a light snore and realized Rongguang was asleep.

But he didn't stop and continued to massage Rongguang's knees and ankles.

The fatigue had gathered there and needed to be dispersed to prevent permanent damage from overuse.

Just like a machine needs maintenance after overloading, the body also needs it. Balance is the key to longevity.

***

The next morning, before six o'clock, Rongguang opened his eyes. He had slept soundly and didn't even dream.

This deep sleep had fully rested and relaxed his body and mind.

His muscles were still a bit sore, but much better than the day before.

What surprised Rongguang the most was that his knees and ankles were almost pain-free.

He remembered the massage Lao Shenxian had given him the previous day and knew it was thanks to Lao Shenxian.

Truly, a deity has his ways!

He stretched and climbed out of the tent, wearing only a pair of shorts.

A sea breeze blew in his face, making him shiver—although the temperature during the day was between ten and twenty degrees, and could reach thirty degrees when the sun was strong, it was cold in the early morning and evening, only a few degrees above zero. This was the winter in Santos, a coastal city.

Feeling the chill, Rongguang quickly started warming up on the beach.

Following the warm-up exercises he had learned at the São Paulo club, Rongguang did them very seriously. Finally, he took out a soccer ball and started juggling it on the beach.

He practiced ball control every day.

After completing all the warm-up exercises, he began jogging on the beach.

Without hiding from Lao Shenxian or carrying a ball, he just jogged normally.

The winter in Santos by the sea was very cold due to the strong wind, but Rongguang was only wearing a pair of shorts, with his chest and abs exposed—although only half a year had passed, he was much stronger than when he first arrived in Brazil.

This was thanks to his big appetite and the sufficient training he did every day.

He didn't wear shoes and ran barefoot on the soft sand along the sea.

At six in the morning in winter in Santos, it was still dark, and the beach was empty, with only the continuous sound of the waves. Running alone on the beach, it felt as if the whole world was just him.

While jogging, he breathed in the cold, humid air with a fishy smell.

Sweat gradually seeped through his body.

When Rongguang finally finished his jog, he stopped and stood by the sea. The waves continuously washed over his feet, flowed around his body, and left marks on the sand before returning.

He turned his head and looked into the depths of the sea, squinting his eyes.

At the horizon, a line of golden light spread out, extending upwards and quickly occupying the deep blue sky. The golden light spread in all directions, swallowing the darkness and outlining the clouds in the sky.

The golden light from the distant horizon reflected in every tiny sweat drop on Rongguang's body, making him glow golden. His shadow was cast as a long, thin line on the beach, extending beyond it.

There was golden light on the sea, and rosy clouds in the sky, signaling the sunrise.